Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member Housing

The Cabinet Member Housing presented the report, noting its relevance to the priorities laid out in the council’s Place Vision, Corporate Plan and Recovery Strategy, all of which sought to have a transformational and positive impact for everyone in the borough. Key aims for the future included solidifying Cheltenham’s position as the cyber capital of the UK, the Golden Valley development delivering new businesses, housing and jobs, as well as the goal of net carbon zero by 2030 and the £180m investment in providing new and affordable homes.

He stressed the importance of housing services as a fundamental part of this agenda. With this in mind, an independent housing service review was undertaken to ensure that the council was best placed to meet its current and future ambitions. The review concluded that Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) should be retained as an Arms-Length Management Organisation (ALMO) and that an ambitious programme should be undertaken to evolve and strengthen the partnership between CBC and CBH in the future.

He acknowledged the impact of the Covid crisis on communities, but noted that housing services in Cheltenham continued to be strong and resilient. The report included an updated management agreement and business plan, aiming for a lasting positive impact and a resilient, inclusive and sustained recovery from Covid-19. He thanked officers involved for their part in what was at heart an honest and constructive conversation, and asked members to endorse the report.

Gareth Edmundson, Chief Executive, added his thanks to CBH for their continuing partnership, particularly in terms of how they had identified areas of improvement to constructively build on. He emphasised the importance of engaging partners, stakeholders, tenants and customers in decision-making processes, and the need to identify efficiencies and give themselves a genuine choice of options for either savings or future investment. The aim was for the council to look back in 5-10 years and see that the review was a key step in tackling future challenges.

Steve Slater (Cheltenham Borough Homes) echoed the Chief Executive’s words, describing it as a comprehensive and rewarding review. He stressed the importance of the CBC-CBH partnership and the need to push on in the future to continue delivering for all those concerned.

The Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles thanked officers and the Cabinet Member Housing for their efforts in producing a significant piece of work, and asked whether the government’s Social Housing White Paper would be restrictive or beneficial. SS responded that they had looked closely at all its requirements, and believed they could work with these and build on them. He added that the council’s role would be particularly important, with a clear trend towards more responsibility being put in the hands of local authorities since Grenfell. It was important to give tenants support and reassurance.

The Cabinet Member Finance and Assets added that he fully supported the report, and that CBH had been a reliable and valuable partner over the years.

The Cabinet Member Cyber and Safety added that the report was very well-timed, and not just because of Covid. Housing services would be an integral part of the Golden Valley development, and it was important to know that the council’s partners were up to the job of delivering this at a high standard.

The Leader added that this was just the start of a long journey, and one part of a pioneering agenda. Housebuilding commitments were planned long into the future.

The Leader moved to a vote, where it was unanimously:

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The Independent Strategic Housing Review Report provided by Campbell Tickell (Appendix 2) be noted;

2.    The key recommendation within the Campbell Tickell report to retain Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) as the Arms-length Management Organisation (ALMO) as the model of housing service delivery for Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) be agreed;

3.    Authority be delegated to the Managing Director for Place and Growth in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and CBH to review and establish appropriate governance for an ambitious transformation programme that will seek to:

a.    Implement identified opportunities within the Campbell Tickell Report and subsequently by CBC and CBH that will evolve and strengthen the partnership between the Council and the ALMO to deliver improved outcomes for CBH tenants, customers and Cheltenham’s communities;

b.    Deliver annual efficiencies for reinvestment and/or savings of up to £487K by the end of the financial year 2023/24 while requiring £175K of transformation costs.

4.    Authority be delegated to the Managing Director for Place and Growth in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing to update the current CBH Management Agreement, HRA Business Plan and associated documents to:

a.    Deliver a strong partnership that enables the delivery of shared corporate priorities and a high quality service;

b.    Support the implementation of identified opportunities and efficiencies set out within the CT report and identified by CBC/CBH;

c.     Support the implementation of the CBH Board Effectiveness review;

d.    Allow for appropriate monitoring of delivery against priorities and milestones.